by Ann Hite
Had I kept the first sixty pages and told this story only in Nellie’s voice, the novel would have lost its richness and depth. When I was studying under Emily Ellison [an Atlanta author] many moons ago, she told me something that I use in all my writing today. Every good piece of work, whether it is a story, essay, or novel, has a light that shines throughout the narrative. The way in which Ghost on Black Mountain is narrated provides that satisfying illumination.
Did you always know how the book would end, or did it come together as you were writing?
Because Ghost on Black Mountain began as a short story, I knew some of what would take place, but I did not know how Nellie’s story would end. Had I known, I would never have written the book. All my work begins with at least one question. In this book’s case, I wanted to know what happened to a person after he or she makes the decision to take someone’s life. How does this mark the person’s future, even if he or she had every right to take such a drastic, harsh action? And what if this person gets away with the deed? Those questions drove me until I found the answers.
What was your inspiration for Ghost on Black Mountain? Are any of your characters inspired by real people? Is there one character that you relate to the most?
I never know what will inspire me to write. Sometimes it is a song. Sometimes an old photo. It can be something as simple as a snippet of an old family story. Nellie crept into my head after my husband read an article aloud about a woman who lived in the Smoky Mountains during the twenties. She killed her husband and then attempted to hide his body. She was hanged for her crime.
Both Rose Gardner and Nellie Pritchard are loosely based on my grandmother when she was young. She never killed anyone, but she did lead a double life in many ways, like Nellie. The strengths and weaknesses of both women reflect the grandmother I knew.
Iona Harbor is one of my favorite characters. She was raised by two powerful women. They were so powerful that they overshadowed Iona’s father. While I believe at some level I have to relate to each of my characters, whether they are good or bad, I really understand the frustration Iona experienced while trying to find her own way. She wanted to be herself, a musician, in a family that had other ideas.
Ghost on Black Mountain is set in the South, and you yourself live in Atlanta, Georgia. Could this novel have been set anywhere else? How did your personal ties to the setting influence your writing?
I’m a Southern girl who was raised everywhere but the South for a good part of her childhood. It’s this very contradiction that gives me the ability to appreciate my Southern history, to see all the warts and not become sentimental about the place or people when I write. My passion for the South fuels my writing. I can’t imagine setting any of my work anywhere but my beloved South. My characters are simple/complex mountain people, whose families have lived in the same place for generations.
My husband’s family had a tradition of vacationing in the Smoky Mountains each year. The first time I visited this beautiful place, I thought of the area where my grandmother grew up. So when these characters began to show themselves, it only seemed natural to place them in the mountains of North Carolina.
The end of Shelly’s story is left as somewhat of a mystery. Does her story continue beyond the pages of the book for you, or does each character exist solely in what is written?
Shelly is a character I often claim I must have channeled. She came to me with her own set of traits, gifts, and history. I could see the clothes she would wear and her smirk of a smile. She tells me when I have one of her scenes wrong and bugs me in my dreams. I knew the first time she showed up on the page she was someone special. Her story does continue beyond these pages. At this point, I even know what she becomes in her adult life.
Do you believe in ghosts?
My logical mind says no, but I have had experiences that can’t be explained away. In June of 2010, while on a writing retreat, I went to take photos of the church that inspired the First Episcopal Church of Black Mountain. I had to hike a good half mile off the road into the woods. I was alone. When I found the perfect shot, a black shadow scurried across my screen. I searched around the area for the source and never found one. I took the photo without any more events. I couldn’t help but think of Nellie and how she saw Merlin on the way to the pastor’s house near the church. But to answer your question, I mostly enjoy a good ghost story without worrying about the real sprits.
What is your next project? Will there be more Black Mountain books?
The answer to this question goes with the question about Shelly. I’m currently working on a novel about Shelly Parker in which I find out what happens to her after Nellie leaves the mountain. What does she do with the money Nellie gives her? What’s her history? What does Shelly want more than anything else in her life? Yes, there are plenty of ghosts. And I’m coming to know Pastor Dobbins and his family better. Also there are a few new characters, like Maude Tuggle, the granny woman.
The rough draft of the third book is finished. This novel tells the story of Hobbs and his sister as children. This book was actually written right after I finished the first draft of Ghost on Black Mountain. I wanted to know what made Hobbs who he became.
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